Kauw before 1922

Johannes Frederik Engelbert ten Klooster made this woodcut called 'Kauw'. There’s something about the stark contrast between the black ink and the paper that grabs you. It’s bold, immediate, like a visual shout. But then you look closer and you see it’s not just a solid block of black, there’s texture, variation in the density of the ink, you can almost feel the grain of the wood. See how the lines around the wing feathers aren't perfect? It’s like a map of the artist's process, each mark telling a story. The way the artist has captured the bird's form with such economy of line is also striking. It's all angles and sharp edges, it reminds me of some of the German Expressionist woodcuts. It’s not trying to be realistic; it’s more about capturing the essence of the bird. Looking at this, I think of how artists like Franz Masereel also used woodcuts to convey powerful social and emotional messages. Art is always in dialogue, an ongoing conversation across time and different voices.